Letting the Gini Out of the Bottle

Updated Sept. 23, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

America isn't the only country where poverty is much discussed. China also is suddenly awash with stories about inequality. In an editorial below we discuss how post-Katrina stress in the U.S. Congress may derail economic growth in the U.S. Will a new fixation on egalitarianism in China take that country back to Maoism?

If the hand-wringing about income inequality in China translates into policies that will penalize hard work, talent and risk-taking, or get in the way of reform, the answer could be yes. If, on the...